We have (err, had) a nice looking birch tree in our front yard (about
25-30ft high). This year the tree has yet to get any leaves, or buds
for that matter. Some of the branches still have dead leaves dangling
from last fall.

I was thinking that the tree was pretty much dead as a doornail, and
was planning to take it down. Until this weekend ...

While driving around through other towns I noticed a lot of other
birch trees in the same shape. In my mother inlaws condo complex they
have several neatly groomed and well maintained garden areas. In one
area alone there are 4 birch trees. Of those 4, only 1 had any leaves.
The other 3 were just like ours.

Think it would be safe to assume that it is indeed dead, or do birch
trees ever go through some sort of extended dormant period? (pulling
at strings, I know).


Doug.

In article ,
wrote:

We have (err, had) a nice looking birch tree in our front yard (about
25-30ft high). This year the tree has yet to get any leaves, or buds
for that matter. Some of the branches still have dead leaves dangling
from last fall.

I was thinking that the tree was pretty much dead as a doornail, and
was planning to take it down. Until this weekend ...

While driving around through other towns I noticed a lot of other
birch trees in the same shape. In my mother inlaws condo complex they
have several neatly groomed and well maintained garden areas. In one
area alone there are 4 birch trees. Of those 4, only 1 had any leaves.
The other 3 were just like ours.

Think it would be safe to assume that it is indeed dead, or do birch
trees ever go through some sort of extended dormant period? (pulling
at strings, I know).


Doug.

Sounds like death to me. What you describe is common, as birch species are
relatively short-lived in yards, & can seem perfectly healthy for 10 or 20
years then die very quickly. If a lot of them died in the general
vicinity, I would suspect an outbreak of borers but the trees were
probably already stressed by either drought or poor drainage for many
years. Very young trees forgive a lot of conditions, but a lifetime of
stress makes them susceptible to sundry problems at maturity; & they are
more easily stressed than most trees, having contradictory requirements,
such as deeply moistend soil that is never soggy; sunlight on leaf crown
but full shade on shallow roots; rich loamy soil but never fertilized.
They're such oddball trees, a maturing tree can even commit suicide by
wrapping its own roots around the bottom of the trunk & strangling itself
to death. In regions where birch borers are common, garden centers usually
just stop selling birches at all, as the trees are all too often a lost
cause.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Hi Paghat,

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 13:39:24 -0700, (paghat)
Sounds like death to me. What you describe is common, as birch species are
relatively short-lived in yards, & can seem perfectly healthy for 10 or 20

Ugh. that's why I figured/feared.

Oh well, thanks for the confirm and the additional info. Guess I
better start planning to have it removed.


Doug.

I have a Birch tree, in Modesto California, which was planted about 11 years
ago. It has grown tall, strong and healthy through the years. I recently
had a professional gardener look at it, and she told me it was in great
shape. She did warn me about having too much ivy or foliage around the
base, as it can easily starve the birch of water and nutients. The area
around the tree has been watered from every other day to every day over the
years, more in the summer, from 15 to 20 minutes. Maybe this climate and
the watering schedule have been very good to the tree. It gets hot there
(high 90s, sometimes over 100) in the summer, but not too cold low 40s to
high 50s in the winter. I just thought that this might help provide some
inside into what a healthy Birch has experienced, for what it is worth.
Lucas

"Doug" wrote in message
...
We have (err, had) a nice looking birch tree in our front yard (about
25-30ft high). This year the tree has yet to get any leaves, or buds
for that matter. Some of the branches still have dead leaves dangling
from last fall.

I was thinking that the tree was pretty much dead as a doornail, and
was planning to take it down. Until this weekend ...

While driving around through other towns I noticed a lot of other
birch trees in the same shape. In my mother inlaws condo complex they
have several neatly groomed and well maintained garden areas. In one
area alone there are 4 birch trees. Of those 4, only 1 had any leaves.
The other 3 were just like ours.

Think it would be safe to assume that it is indeed dead, or do birch
trees ever go through some sort of extended dormant period? (pulling
at strings, I know).


Doug.

If in doubt about the tree being alive then why don't you try scratching the
bark in the small stems, if the underlying tissue is green then there is
still life, but if brown then it's dead.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

Hi Lucas,

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 21:51:06 GMT, "John Smith"
the watering schedule have been very good to the tree. It gets hot
there
(high 90s, sometimes over 100) in the summer, but not too cold low 40s to
high 50s in the winter. I just thought that this might help provide some
inside into what a healthy Birch has experienced, for what it is worth.

Our temperature extremes last year were a fair bit broader.

Last summer, high 90's and low 100's were the common. But in the
winter, plenty of days around -20 to -30 with the windchill.

Doug.